Saint of the Week

The 120 saints we honor today spilled their blood for the faith during the four centuries that followed. The first to be martyred was Father Francisco Fernández de Capillas, a Spanish Dominican priest. Father de Capillas spent his first two decades as a priest working in the Philippines as a missionary. In 1642, Father de Capillas arrived for his final mission in mainland China. He and his companions worked fervently for the next several years, winning over many converts and even establishing a lay order of Domin icans. In 1647, Father de Capillas was captured, impris oned, and tortured. While in prison, he wrote a letter in which he said, “I am here with other prisoners and we have developed a fellowship. They ask me about the Gospel of the Lord. I am not concerned about getting out of here be cause here I know I am doing the will of God. They do not let me stay up at night to pray, so I pray in bed before dawn. I live here in great joy without any worry, knowing that I am here because of Jesus Christ. The pearls I have found here these days are not always easy to find.” He died while praying the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary.

From the martyrdom of Father de Capillas until 1930, 119 other Catholic saints would follow in his foot steps as martyrs in China. The next several decades after Father de Capillas’ death were relatively peaceful, as suc cessive emperors tolerated Christians. That all changed, when in 1707 the Pope issued a decree forbidding the co mingling of Confucian religious practices with the Catholic faith. This infuriated the emperor, and over the next 15 years, most of the Catholic missions were suppressed.

Father Augustine, whose name is attached to to day’s memorial, was the first native-born Chinese priest to be martyred. He was originally a soldier entrusted with the task of transporting to Beijing French Bishop John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse who had been arrested and would also be martyred. During the long journey, the bishop greatly im pressed Zhao Rong with his kindness and peaceful de meanor in the face of persecution. Zhao Rong requested and received baptism after learning about the Catholic faith. Taking the name Augustine, he was later ordained a priest. After his arrest, he was offered the opportunity to renounce the Catholic faith but refused. After horrific tor tures, Father Augustine died of his injuries in prison.

Between 1814 and 1862, 26 Christians were mar tyred in China. In the summer of 1900, a fierce persecution of foreigners and Christians broke out. The Boxer Rebel lion claimed the lives of 86 martyrs, including many reli gious sisters, priests, catechists, and other laity. In addition to the 86 canonized martyrs, thousands of other Christians died. The final two martyrs honored today, an Italian priest and bishop, died in 1930.

As the Church Father Tertullian famously said, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church.” Such is the case in China. The proclamation of the Gospel in this populous land continues today, and much resistance con tinues. As we honor these Chinese martyrs, pray for the Chinese people, begging God to continue to send holy men and women to that land to share the saving message of Je sus Christ.